“I would like to thank my friend who always stands in solidarity with me, President Václav Havel, for his invitation to this important meeting.”
Oswaldo Paya Sardinas, Dissident, Cuba, 2007
Homepage > Projects > Forum 2000 Conferences > 2011 > Program > A Corrupt Society?

A Corrupt Society?

Below you will find the description of all the events listed chronologically as they will take place.

 

Organized Crime, Corruption, and Politics

Night Session
In cooperation with the Open Society Fund Prague
Sunday, October 9, 2011, 21.00–22.30, New Stage, National Theatre
 
Participants: Monika Ladmanová, Peter Eigen, Yakov Gilinsky, Norman L. Eisen, José María Argueta, Karel Randák
 
In some countries, corruption culminates in “state capture”, where the state´s law enforcement is taken over or crippled and the functioning of sophisticated corruption schemes undermines the state´s legitimacy. Corruption weakens social relationships and mechanisms of social control become merely formal obstacles. Politics cease to be a battle of ideas and become a business undertaking. Modern organized crime groups succeed in creating parallel power structures. The line between the legal world and criminal underground becomes blurred. Organized crime is itself embodied into the social system and influences other elements, in particular politics and the economy.
 
  • To what extent is the above description accurate?
  • Where, globally, is the threat of corruption and organized crime most acute?
  • What are the steps countries need to take to prevent “state capture”?   

 

Our Corruption

Debate
In cooperation with People In Need´s One World in Schools Educational Program
Monday, October 10, 2011, 12.00–13.30, Academy of Sciences
 
Participants: Jan Urban, Ondřej Liška, Marie Benešová, Pavel Severa
 
The results of various recent surveys indicate that young people consider corruption to be one of the most serious problems our society is facing. The objective of the discussion will be to give young people an opportunity to express their interest in public affairs and to strengthen their civic participation by discussing this problem with politicians. Czech politicians from several major political parties will attend and be given an opportunity to share their opinions on the current situation.
 
  • How can we ensure that public tenders are fair and transparent?
  • How can we safeguard the independence of the police and the judiciary?
  • How can we make sure that big corruption cases are investigated?
  • How should the legal authorities prosecute corruption?
  • How can ordinary citizens help to fight corruption?

 

Corruption and Society

Panel
In cooperation with CERGE-EI and Open Society Fund Prague
Tuesday, October 11, 2011, 11.45–13.15, Žofín Palace, Forum Hall
 
Participants: Peter Eigen, Randall K. Filer, Grigory Yavlinsky, Laurent Weill, Christopher Walker, Avi Dichter
 
Corruption impoverishes whole communities and threatens the safety and security of many for the benefit of very few. Corruption of the civil service and political structures seriously threatens the stability and security of the state and wellbeing of its citizens. It also undermines the trust in democracy and leads to a growing frustration of the electorate in democracies all over the world. In many societies, corruption is in fact so closely interwoven into the social fabric and political and economic process that if it suddenly ceased to exist, society might be partially paralyzed.
 
  • Ethics, compliance standards and regulations – why don´t they work?
  • Is corruption in the post-Soviet space any different from that of the “old” western democracies?
  • What anti-corruption policies have been shown to be effective? To what extent can these be implemented on a broader scale?
  • What is the role of the international community in setting the standard and reinforcing local efforts?

 

Modern Organized Crime: An Anonymous Stakeholder in the Public Sphere

Panel
In cooperation with Open Society Fund Prague
Tuesday, October 11, 2011, 16.15–17.30, Goethe-Institut
 
Participants: Uzi Arad, Atifete Jahjaga, Yakov Gilinsky, José María Argueta, Yakov Kostyukovsky
 
Modern organized criminal activities threaten the stability and security of the state and society. However, public debate about this issue is limited and society, including its elite, tends to underestimate the risks involved. The public is not well informed and therefore fails to demand appropriate measures from its political representatives.
 
  • What do we know about the structure and functioning of modern organized crime organizations?
  • How do they influence public life?
  • How do they affect the functioning of democracy?
  • What effective measures can be taken on the part of society and the state to tackle these developments?

 

Corruption: How Can We Effectively Deal With It?

Public debate
In cooperation with Pilsen 2015 and Open Society Fund Prague
Wednesday, October 12, 2011, 11.00–12.30, Czech Radio Pilsen
 
Participants: Erik Tabery, Vladimíra Dvořáková, Jiří Knitl, Adriana Krnáčová, Martin Kameník
 
Corruption is a dangerous and globally ubiquitous phenomenon. The levels of corruption in Central and Eastern Europe, including the Czech Republic, however, are perceived to be very high. The costs are staggering. Gradually, over the past few years, corruption has started to limit the normal and efficient functioning of the country. Recently, Czech society appears to have reached a tipping point and a flurry of anti-corruption activities and civil society and business initiatives have suddenly emerged.
 
  • What are the main objectives of the recently emerged civil society anti-corruption initiatives?
  • What is the most efficient way forward?
  • Are there any successful examples from abroad? To what extent is this experience relevant to the Czech Republic?

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